Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry First analysis in

PH 6.09
Alkalinity 4.55 (yes the decimal is in the right place

This pretty much confirms what we thought. The sample was taken at 5pm after we had started washing in a bit of lime and in close proximity to the discharge, but there was plenty of time to settle so it looks like it did not affect the results much if at all.

So 7 acres, 22 ton of lime now we wait.

My question is how quickly will the lime start to take effect? Is it worth taking a 2 week water sample or should I wait more like a month or two?

This is not the right way to move forward. You should wait for at least 2-3 months to let it take the effect.

That's the info I was looking for. I'll wait until later in the winter to sample again. Ice is pretty much here for the season so I may even wait until March when we start working on an addition to the dock. With 3' of muck we'll be building up the dock on and through the ice.

Ag lime will start working when it hits the water. A small % will dissolve at that point and the affect will build over 18 mths +- and then start to decline - of course depending on your water and soil. Take it again in a week to 10 days.

So first sample 11-2-13 and a couple ton or so washed in 11-2 and 11-3. The bulk was washed in 11-9 and 11-10. It's in a pretty good heap about 30' from my sampling site. No real option for distribution of the heavy stuff at this time, but it did float out the light stuff over a fair area again all near my sampling point. Not much option there as we have ice now. Not enough to go walk on I doubt, but too much to take out a boat. I'll be up to the lake this Sunday the 24th so the bulk of it will have had 2 weeks to dissolve. Not sure when I'll be up next after that. The debate is take a sample now to see if the uptake is progressing well, or wait until later when the ice is thicker and auger a hole?

I set myself up for 4 samples, but could always extend that. Lab provides the bottles and cooler for shipping.

Any concerns of lime reacting under the ice with the acid water to make CO2 which cannot escape?

Well we are iced over tight so I guess we'll find out. I did not take a sample this weekend, but I figure I'll be out ice fishing at some point and can take my sample then.

Update:

Sample 1 was taken 11-2-13 at 5pm open water

Conductivity 11.4
PH 6.10
Alkalinity 4.55

Sample 2 taken 1-18-14 at noon through the ice

Conductivity: 20.4
PH 6.64
Alkalinity 8.84


So we've nearly doubled the alkalinity in a couple of months with little to no wave action and the lime delivered to a concentrated location.

Good news! It'll be interesting to see how it climbs once the ice is off the pond.

I think that I might draw another sample in March or so just to see if things still progress. I'll probably do this when we do our dock project and may try to go completely across the body from my "sand bar" to see how uniform the spread is.

Sample 2 was taken maybe 75 yds from the bar due to heavy snow conditions (knee deep)

May sample holding steady (almost) but not gaining. Sample taken near center of the water this time.

Conductivity 18.32
PH 6.57
Alkalinity 8.04



There was a quite a rise in water levels though this spring with a lot of snow melt and some rain. Water table really came up. I'd estimate that we rose about 8-10" or so. Ice was below stringers of new dock sections several inches and now it's up on the stringers a inch or two.

I ran the boat up against the dock and used the electric motor to stir on the pile a bit. This was a week after I sampled.

I also have 20 pails (5 gallon) at about 50-60# ea and will try to place these in a secondary location with a better spread.

Interestingly the bass fishing has been good in the vicinity of the lime. Not sure if they are coming to the "sweet" water or if they are looking at the lime as spawning sand, or if it's just where they hang out.


Here's the dock before the melt:

Hard to tell, but it does seem like I have a bit of a bloom going on near the limed area. There's a good bit of what is likely tree pollen on the surface though so it's hard to tell. It appears as though the water is a bit less clear and maybe speckled. It was so crystal clear before.

OK changeup here tested for PH and N:

Prep Date 07/17/14 Analysis Date 07/18/14
Phosphorus EPA 365.1 0.0143F mg/L 0.00500 0.0160

Prep Date 07/23/14 Analysis Date 07/24/14
Total Nitrogen (as N) EPA 353.2 0.413 mg/L 0.03 0.096


Prep Date 07/17/14 Analysis Date 07/17/14
Comments:
Analyzed past the 48 hours holding time.
DISS REACTIVE PHOSPHORUS AS P SM4500-PE ND mg/L 0.00200 0.00600

It looks to me like I have a serious deficiency of P

Simplified


P is .0143F mg/l

N is .413 mg/l

Ortho P is ND possibly not detected?

What were the hardness and alkalinity figures for that test?

Still waiting on that part. Apparently they do the titration thing every other week or so. I have no reason to suspect it any better than previous single digits, maybe low double digits alkalinity.

I have my lime spreading system set up with the pump, just need time and assistance. The seemingly simple task of holding a fire hose can be a lot of work.

Conductivity 13.5

PH 6.49

Alkalinity 5.96

Definitely need to get the lime spread out and dissolving...

Went with T A&M for this round of testing. Two samples taken. One right from dock near lime pile, the other out 150 yds away from it. Very minor differences between the two.

Alk 20/20
PH 5.15/5.23
Cond 20/18
Hardness 9/10

P <.01/<.01
N .03/.02

These samples were not preserved or kept cool, just a quick grab in recycled multi rinsed Powerade bottles.

Looks like its working.

Hoping it's not just a lab difference.


P looks very low. I do have a "soil" sample, but it's kind of a mess. A bunch of organic crap and then some sand underneath.

At some point I hope to try to take a core sample near the dock. I can push a pipe and feel initial resistance (organic junk then it breaks through and goes about 3' or so until it hits firmness. I always figured that the 3' was organic muck, but now I'm wondering if the mid layer isn't just a soft sand until I hit gravel?

I should add that I have been using my semi trash pump off and on to spread the lime shooting through a nozzle out in about a 75' radius from the dock. Takes a LONG time to do this. Hoping to do this again this season. May even try to do it in spring on late ice so I can walk out versus trying to manage the hose from a boat.

P.S. the snails seem to love the lime pile. They kept plugging my screen.

Is there a chance someone tried to create a sand beach once? Also is limestone riprap available near you? It could help tame the PH a bit between lime treatments if you put it around and below the shoreline.

Snails love the crushed limestone rock I lined the banks of my pond with. It grows a fresh layer of algae on it, and the snails are all over it.

My hopes are to raise some really nice RES because of it.

Took a soil sample last fall. Finally got around to submitting it. I still have not spread my lime adequately. It is in a pile near the dock. I'm hoping in fall to get back out and pump it around with my semi trash pump. I did jet some out from the dock, but I don't get much more than maybe 100' radius.